Gwanggaeto the Great-class Destroyer

The ROKS Yang Manchun (DDH-973) underway being supplied by a USN HH-46D Sea Knight helicopter in March 2002.

The Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyers (Hangul: 광개토대왕급 구축함), often called KD-I class, are destroyers, but are classified by some as frigates, operated by the Republic of Korea Navy. It was the first phase of ROKN's KDX program, in moving the ROK Navy from a coastal defense force to a blue-water navy.

Specifications

• Type: Destroyer
• Serve Period: 1998-Present
• Characteristics:
  • Length: 444 feet 3 inches (135.41 meters)
  • Beam: 46 feet 7 inches (14.2 meters)
  • Draft: 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 meters)
  • Displacement: 3,200 tons (Standard); 3,885 tons (Full Load)
• Crew: 286
  • Installed Power: 2 x Sangyong 20V 956 TB 82 diesel engines
• Propulsion: 2 x General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 2 shafts, 58,200 shp
• Range: 4,500 nautical miles (8,334 kilometers) at 18 knots (33.34 km/h)
• Speed: 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
• Sensor Suite:
  • Signaal MW-08 Air/Surface Search Radar
  • Daewoo SPS-95K Navigation Radar
  • Signaal STIR-180 Fire Control Radar x 2
  • BAe SEMA SSCS MK.7 combat system
  • ATLAS DSQS-21BZ Multifunction Sonar
  • SQR-220K Black Dragon Towed Array Sonar
• Countermeasures:
  • ARGOSystems AR 700 Electronic Warfare Suite
  • ARGOSystems APECS 2 Electronic Warfare Suite
  • AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy
  • CSEE Dagaie Mk.2 Chaff/Flare Launcher x 2
• Armament:
  • 1 x OTO Melara 5"/54-caliber naval gun
  • 1 x 16-cell Mk.48 Mod 2 VLS (fires RIM-7P Sea Sparrow SAMs)
  • 2 x 4-cell Mk.141 Harpoon SSM Launchers
  • 2 x 12.75" triple fire torpedo tubes (fires Mk.46 torpedoes)
  • 2 x Signaal 30mm Goalkeeper CIWS
• Aircraft Carried: 2 x Westland Mk.99A Super Lynx maritime helicopters

Unit Run

• ROKS Gwangaetto the Great (DDH-971)
• ROKS Eulji Mundeok (DDH-972)
• ROKS Yang Manchun (DDH-973)